Michigan

U-M, EMU: Impossible to head off violence

On a free-wheeling college campus, with lots of students, staff and members of the public flowing in and out of buildings, preventing someone from wreaking havoc is almost impossible, public safety officials at the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University said.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007
"We're a public entity and there's little you can do, other than teach vigilance and encourage people to report things and have plans for as quick a response as possible,'' said Karen Simpkins, acting vice president of student affairs at EMU.

It's yet unknown why a gunman entered a Virginia Tech dormitory and later a classroom building Monday, killing 32 people. It's also unclear how he got into the dorm and classroom building.

Gaining access to a dorm was an issue recently at EMU, where Orange Taylor III allegedly raped and murdered Laura Dickinson in her dorm room. EMU hasn't said how Taylor got into the dorm. However, police officers who reviewed videotapes from several dorms in the course of their investigation saw people entering after hours behind students with keys - a practice known as tailgating.

"Even after what happened here,'' Simpkins said, "we still have students who leave their doors unlocked and let people in. It's hard to believe, but it happens.''

While people are supposed to scan in with a unique key card, "our students are quite polite, so they hold the door open for people,'' U-M public safety spokeswoman Diane Brown said. "How do you balance interest in being a civil community with being also a safe community?''

EMU student Natarsha Harper said the shooting at Virginia Tech opened her eyes to the potential dangers.

"It's scary to think than anyone can come onto campus and do what they want. I think there should be more security around to look out for people who could be threats,'' the junior from Detroit said.

Emily Grater, an EMU junior studying graphic design, said she feels safe on campus and that the university has taken recent strides to improve safety.

She didn't hear about the shooting until her mother left her a voice mail message Monday afternoon with the news and just to say she loved her.

"I'm the oldest of four and something like that probably hit really close to home for her,'' said Grater, a Cleveland native. "You can never be too careful, and you never know what could happen in a given day.''

If something does go wrong, both universities have plans on how they can respond to massive crises. They try to "prepare for the worst and hope for the best,'' as Brown put it. She said U-M, like many universities, uses a model called "quick action deployment.''

Even the best laid plans can't always prevent such a massacre. Brown said that, based on what she had gathered, Virginia Tech used the same response plan.

She too noted that desensitization to disaster is a problem.

"We had a small fire on campus this weekend,'' she said. "We had kids in the building, they smelled smoke, they heard the alarm, and they still wouldn't get out of the building. How do you overcome that?''

U-M freshmen Tim Erickson said he's not sure how he would react if he was caught up in a situation like that at Virginia Tech.

"I can't imagine. ... It seems like the whole Columbine shooting all over again.''

Television news spent all day broadcasting images from the stunned campus.

On U-M's Central Campus Monday afternoon, the news did little to interrupt students' routines and schedules.

Among the hustle of graduating seniors rushing from recruiter to recruiter at a job fair at the Michigan Union, the news seemed lost.

A lone television playing in the food court area in the lower level was muted and didn't appear to draw much attention from students getting a late lunch.

"I think everyone knows about it, but aren't really affected by it,'' said U-M junior Lisa Rose. "Still, I'm concerned. If it can happen there, then it can happen here.''

Across Central Campus at the Michigan League, the news was a bit more prominent on a large screen television playing in the lower level. The sound was on and passing students paused to read the news scroll.

However, most of the handful of students sitting at tables seemed more concerned about studying than watching the news.

"I watched a bunch of news earlier and caught up on it,'' Erickson said. "I think most people want to know about it, but then are moving on. You can't think too much about it and what could happen or you'll get scared.''

Reaction to the massacre spanned from disbelief, to sorrow and frustration among students at EMU.

"I'm dumbfounded by it,'' said Tyne Kreiner, a junior studying social work. "It just shows that our culture and the violent environment we live in isn't getting any better.''

News staff reporter Art Aisner contributed to this story. David Jesse can be reached at